Charlotte
by Olive nerd
Summary: This is how I believe a female Professor X would change things. Cherik, Charles/Moira, XMFC, DOFP, Apocalypse
1. Chapter 1

Charlotte

 **I own nothing. Please correct me if anything appears wrong! I changed a few things.**

1) Meeting Raven, X-Men First Class

In Westchester County, New York, in a mansion the size of a school, a young girl with dark hair slept soundly in her gargantuan bed. Gifted but lonely, Charlotte Frances Xavier was the only daughter of Brian and Sharon Xavier. Her father unfortunately passed away in an accident when she was five, and an avaricious and abusive man married her mother.

Charlotte's deep blue eyes fluttered open as she heard some commotion from the kitchen downstairs. Reluctantly, she rose out of her comfy, if not extravagant, bed, grabbed her late father's old baseball bat, and rushed to the kitchen. She saw her tall, blonde mother wearing one of her favorite dresses and searching through their fridge.

Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows. Her mother was hardly ever home. And when she was, she was either ordering one of her servants around from her bedroom or complaining about her relatives to Kurt from her private sitting room. So her appearance then obviously raised suspicion.

"Mother…" Charlotte tiredly put down her bat. "What are you… I thought you were a burglar."

Her mother turned from the fridge. "I didn't mean to scare you, darling. I was just getting a snack. Go back to bed." Her mother quickly noticed Charlotte's uneasiness and smiled sweetly at her.

 _Something's wrong…_

"What's the matter? Go on, back to bed." Her mother bent down to her level, still smiling. "I'll make you hot chocolate."

 _Not her,_ Charlotte thought to herself. _Mother's never this sickly sweet. She's hardly ever sweet unless she wants something. It's not her._ Charlotte frowned at the imposter. "Who are you?"

She glanced at the picture of her and her mother and quickly noted that the imposter was wearing the exact dress. "And what have you done with my mother?" Charlotte demanded, slipping into the imposter's mind.

 _My mother has never set foot in this kitchen in her life,_ Charlotte projected to the suddenly intimidated woman, who was holding her invaded head. _And she certainly never made me hot chocolate, unless you count ordering the maid to do it._

Before Charlotte's eyes, the "woman" shifted into a small, frightened girl with electric blue skin, blood red hair, and wide yellow eyes. Charlotte considered alerting one of the servants, but then she scolded herself and smiled in amazement and relief at the little girl. There was absolutely no reason for her to be afraid. There was finally another girl. She finally met someone like her. She was no longer alone.

The girl frowned slightly at Charlotte. _She hasn't screamed or called for help or even threatened me yet._ "You're not… scared of me?"

"I always believed I couldn't be the only girl in the world," Charlotte told her softly, ready to cry. "The only person who was… different." The word "mutant" was not the right word to use in their situation. She wanted to comfort the girl, not inform or remind her of labels. "And here you are."

Raven's eyes widened some more, and she dared to hope that this other child was not only unafraid but also different, as she put it, like her. She understood. She didn't have to steal like Raven, but she probably knew what it felt like to be ostracized and lonely.

Charlotte offered her hand. "Charlotte Xavier." Raven took it.

"Raven." The younger girl of the two accidentally projected some thoughts, and Charlotte sighed as her mind's eye witnessed Raven's memories. The girl had stolen from fridges and even trash bins before because she had no one left to feed her, no one left who cared.

"You're hungry and alone." Her eyes softened as she noticed how emaciated the girl's naked body was. "Take whatever you wish. We have plenty of food. You don't have to steal." Charlotte grinned warmly and slowly wrapped her arms around the shorter girl. "In fact, you'll never have to steal again."

Raven beamed brightly for the first time in years. She was no longer alone. She now had a friend and a sister like her.


	2. Chapter 2

2) Meeting Moira and Erik, X-Men First Class

Charlotte was certain of one thing as she gasped and watched the suspended anchor destroy its yacht from the U.S. Coast Guard ship: Oxford did not prepare her for this.

After graduating from the University of Oxford and partying with her adopted sister Raven like tomorrow would never come (despite all the unwanted attention at her favorite bar), a CIA agent approached her and intrigued her. There were two reasons for that.

The first was that this woman, Moira MacTaggart, was kind of cute to Charlotte. The fact that she was attracted to a woman did not bother Charlotte. (She was bisexual since her teenage years but would not dare to disclose such information to even Raven. Bisexuality was taboo in the groovy sixties.) It was the fact that the attraction hit her so suddenly. However, Charlotte speculated that the alcohol in her system probably played a role in that.

The second was that Moira sought her advice on mutants because she had found a certain group of mutants who plan on initiating a nuclear war and ultimately wreaking havoc. Charlotte had to slip into Moira's mind to find out what asking she was asking of her. And when she did, Charlotte knew she should have been terrified, but she was honestly fascinated, no, enraptured when viewing the mutants and their unique abilities in Moira's mind.

Fortunately, Moira could not read minds. So she saw no trouble in bringing two seemingly harmless mutants to the CIA and, with their assistance and "magic tricks", convinced the CIA that they had certain, not all, mutants to deal with immediately and cautiously.

Then, the CIA found their man, Sebastian Shaw, and his posse on a yacht in Miami, Florida. It started calmly until the motorboats approached the target's yacht. Tornadoes, from a fellow mutant no doubt, showed the boats no mercy. And there she was: useless, since some unknown telepath blocked her mind, and flabbergasted as the anchor and its chains suddenly destroyed the ship and possibly killed Shaw and his lackeys.

Charlotte and Moira were about to head to safety when Charlotte felt it, the intense, burning anger from another mind. It stung tremendously and shook her skull, causing Charlotte to rub her throbbing temples and desperately identify the source of the rage.

Then, she found him, Erik Lehnsherr. Thoughts full of dread and suffering swarmed her senses as her mind's eyes witnessed the man's desperate attempts to take control of the sinking submarine. _Survivor. Child. Fatherless. Motherless. Orphan. Pain. Death. Suffering. Experiments. Hatred. Shame. Humiliation. Vengeance. Blood. Shaw. Alone._

Charlotte gasped as realization dawned on her. He was drowning. Erik was drowning. Erik was going to _die_ if he did not let go. Charlotte called for help, but no one wanted to take any risks by rescuing him. So, she quickly doffed her jacket and plunged into the waters below.

xxx

Arms. Erik stiffened as thin arms wrapped around his chest and tugged him closer to the surface. He could hear her imploring him to let go or he would die. Her soothing voice almost made him comply. Still, Erik would not budge. He had to do this. Shaw deserved to suffer like he did, like his mother and millions of others did. But then, the strange woman _addressed_ him, as if they were old friends.

Weakly and reluctantly, Erik allowed the woman to slowly lift him up to the surface. Then, they were both gasping for air and bobbing in the ocean. That gave Erik a moment to look at his rescuer or grievance, depending on how one looked at things. She had dark brown hair and the bluest eyes he had ever seen. She was pretty but not striking. Yet, Erik could not help but gaze at her in both admiration and fear. She was inside his head.

After an awkward introduction and her assuring him that she was like him, Erik felt something foreign. Anger and sadness were all he knew, all he felt, that he felt like a walking corpse for eighteen years. But then, this stranger shed some light, showed him that she, too, was different, and therefore he was not a lone monster. Because of all this, for a moment he felt complete and utter happiness.

And when she guaranteed that he was not alone and smiled a certain, genuine smile, Erik knew that he had just met his life or his death. Charlotte Xavier. He did not know it yet, but for years he would think solely about her red lips, her honeyed voice, her blue eyes that anyone could drown in, her benevolent ideas, her generosity, her fury, her pain…

But as the two floated that night, all Erik could really think about was the woman's eyes and how much he really, really needed a drink.

 **May God bless all who endured suffering, suffering akin to the tortures of the Holocaust. May God bless all who endured the tortures of the Holocaust.**


	3. Chapter 3

3) Recruiting

Charlotte's mind wandered again. She was so thrilled to meet a mutant like Hank McCoy. He was not only sweet but incredibly smart and designed for her a wonderful machine, Cerebro, that could locate fellow mutants. At least having more mutants on their team could have convinced Erik to stay.

He had tried to leave. Charlotte could not help but feel disappointed in the metal bender. He still desired to finish the man who destroyed much of his life. His mission was mostly justifiable to Charlotte, but he would have to kill and he almost abandoned the team and the cause for a solo mission. It was a mission that would have done him no good. He was so unwilling to let go, unwilling to accept help...

"Oomph!" Erik recklessly maneuvered around other cars, earning honks from fellow drivers. Rolling his steel blue eyes, Erik just yelled profanities in German. _How did I convince this maddening, obstinate man to stay?_

Erik parked the car. It was now very close to the sketchy strip club, where they would meet their potential recruit.

"Are you sure I should come with you?" Charlotte thought of the petite, beautiful mutant who happened to work at the strip club. The last thing she wanted was to make her uncomfortable. "I think, if you were to go alone and offer to pay for a dance, you could ask her in an environment that suits her."

Erik snickered and hopped out of the car. He then opened the door for her. "Oh but I wouldn't want you to miss it, Charlotte." He told her mischievously, knowing the club itself made her slightly uneasy. With a groan, Charlotte relented and followed him inside. The young professor could flirt all day, but strip clubs just made her feel awkward.

xxx

The young woman did offer Erik a private dance, but he insisted that Charlotte follow him. She was, after all, more persuasive than he was. They both settled into the bed in the private room. As Charlotte expected, the mutant and stripper, Angel Salvadore, stared at them warily. "You know it's double for you and your girl, right?"

The telepath felt herself blush a little as her smug friend chuckled. "No, we're not together. We're... friends." He lightly shoved Charlotte and gestured to the champagne bottle, unknowingly boosting Charlotte's confidence.

She smirked, finding her voice. "Although it would be magical, we had something else in mind." As if on cue, Erik snapped his fingers, guiding the champagne bucket to his side. Charlotte happily allowed him to pour her a drink as Angel stared at them.

"My turn," Angel whispered. She undid the back of her shirt and revealed her lovely wings, fluttering them and hovering a little above the ground.

Charlotte smirked some more and toasted with the metal bender beside her. "How would you like to have a job where you get to keep your clothes on?"

xxx

The next day, Erik and Charlotte called for a specific cab with a particular man inside it. His name was Armando "Darwin" Muñoz. He had the power to adapt, a wonderful ability that Charlotte figured would benefit the entire team tremendously.

"Where to?" The driver asked the couple as they settled into the cab.

"Richmond, Virginia." Darwin smirked at Erik in disbelief.

"So you want the airport? The station? What?"

"We were hoping you could take us the whole way," Charlotte responded smoothly, even though Erik was far too close to her liking. Darwin frowned and stared at the pair from his rear view mirror.

"That's a six hour drive."

"Well, that will give us plenty of time to talk." Erik used his powers to flip the meter, freezing Darwin's tongue. He looked at Charlotte to see if she was seeing this, too, but she just winked at him.

xxx

They met their next potential comrade, Alex Summers, in, of all places, a high security prison. Charlotte favored him not only because of his abilities, but also because of his hardships and prudence. Although his situation was unfortunate, his character and backstory have, for the most part, helped him effectively control his destructive power.

When they found him in his cell, Alex looked up at them coldly. But once the duo told him what they were there for and what he had to do with it, he reluctantly followed them out of the prison.

Charlotte rebuked herself for judging him, but she could not help but ponder. If some strange people came to her with a proposition like theirs while she was in captivity, she probably would have joined them, too, just to get out of prison and leave them for good.

Time would tell what Alex would do.

xxx

Sean Cassidy was at a local aquarium, failing to impress any of the woman he flirted with there. He did, however, impress two fellow mutants due to his unique sonic scream.

Quickly running a hand through her slightly curly hair, Charlotte decided to play his game before Erik could stop her.

"Tough day?" The redhead turned to the woman beside him and grinned charmingly, unaware that she was a little too old for him.

"It actually just got better, beautiful." His eyes roamed over her hands for any rings and he smiled when he found none. "So what got you so interested in the fishies on this fine afternoon, Ms...?"

"Charlotte Xavier." He shook her offered hand and watched her grin playfully at him. "And, due to your projecting, I know what you want. Unfortunately, I'm a little older than you, and I'm here for business."

"And she's taken." Sean stiffened as he heard the taller man approach and spat behind him. Seeing Charlotte's dumbfounded look and realizing what he just said, Erik briskly corrected himself. "We're taken, I mean, with you. Our business involve certain, special people."

"Such as yourself," Charlotte added. "So are you interested? May we elaborate?"

Sean looked at Erik, then Charlotte, and then back at Erik. Then, he whispered to Charlotte. "Is he always this scary?" Charlotte bit back a grin as Erik cocked his head, unaware of what Sean just asked.

"He won't harm you. He's my friend. Now about your ability..."

xxx

Their final man, James "Logan" Howlett, was sitting and drinking at a small bar. They approached him from both sides.

"Excuse me, I'm Erik Lehnsherr. "Charlotte grinned and introduced herself as well.

"Charlotte Xavier."

"Go f*** yourselves." Abashed and insulted, Charlotte stormed out of the bar. Erik uttered curse words in German to the muscular man before following her out the door. Logan watched them go away for a few seconds before turning back to his drink.

"Are you okay?" Charlotte nodded, but she hung her head so he could not see her frown. Erik, knowing how it felt to be ruffled by the other mutants' refusals, decided to drop the subject. After buying some drinks and seeing some sights, the pair decided to return home.

Author's Note: Sorry about the delays and any typos. I'm typing this on my phone because there's no other way. I'm on vacation. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

4) Harbingers of Destruction

 _Bloody perfect._ Charlotte raced to the mansion, where Erik was planning on finding and killing Shaw's right-hand woman without even considering imprisonment as an option. Of course, she quickly erased the mind of a poor guard who was only doing his job before running inside.

She caught up with him. They were in a lovely room. On the bed sat the Soviet general, who was caressing and kissing air. The threatening telepath, Emma Frost, was relaxing in a chair beside the bed in her underwear.

Charlotte was downright speechless. She never used her powers like Emma just did. (That is, if one did not count the times Charlotte would see if the guy she was flirting with even liked brunettes.) It was either impressive or repulsive.

"Nice... job?" Emma raised her eyebrows at the attempt of a compliment from the other woman. Meanwhile, the general spotted them, but Charlotte quickly commanded for him to sleep.

Emma was beautiful, but she clearly did not seem too innocent. Charlotte knew, even without reading Emma's mind, that she was dangerous. She was the one who blocked her mind that night in Miami.

As if to confirm Charlotte's assumptions, Emma Frost shifted into her impeccable diamond form. The brunette distanced herself a bit from Erik so they both could tackle Emma wherever she chose to run. Then, Charlotte tried to read her mind. Emma, however, was certainly not going to tolerate that and mentally slapped Charlotte.

"Don't even think about trying to read my mind, sweetheart. You're not gonna get anything while I'm like this." Charlotte glanced at Erik, who looked ready to pounce on and kill the blonde. Emma paused before fleeing, but they caught her just in time and sat her in front of the massive bed. Erik used his powers to wrap the bed's bars around her wrists and imprison her.

"Then tell us... Where's Shaw?" Emma would not say a word, so Erik resorted to choking it out of her with some of the bars around her neck. Beside him, Charlotte grew tense as she watched Emma struggle.

"Erik." He ignored her. "Erik, that's enough." Erik shook his head slightly and continued applying more and more pressure to the shimmering neck _._

"Erik..." He knew she hated this. "ERIK!" Finally, the bonds were released, and both telepaths visibly relaxed. Emma had shifted back to her usual form and glared fervently at them both.

"Not a wonderful feeling, is it?" Erik sneered and bent down to her level. "Being held captive? Tortured? Humiliated? Did your lover ever tell you my side of the story? Hmm?"

"He didn't have to," Emma replied casually, as if they were conversing about the weather. "I read minds, remember? I know enough about you, Erik, and her." She nodded to Charlotte, smirking a little deviously.

Erik growled and grabbed her throat. "Don't include her in this. She has _nothing_ to do with this." Charlotte could not formulate words as she watched the exchange.

"Your little vendetta?" Emma smirked some more. "True, but she is against Shaw. Isn't she? That is my business." She turned to Charlotte. "Did your lover ever tell you the entire story?"

Charlotte nodded dumbly, too busy pleading mentally with Erik to fully focus on Emma. She needed to take charge at this point.

Erik reluctantly stood up and sat down in the chair where Emma sat. "She's all yours, mein liebe."

Charlotte turned sharply torwards Erik, briefly wondering if he meant the endearment or was openly mocking Emma, before shaking her head and returning to the task at hand. As calmly and politely as possible, Charlotte delved into the mind of the other telepath. Enemies still deserved some courtesy, in her opinion, and not any mental slaps, kicks, or excessive mind invasions.

 _Missles in Cuba. Missiles aimed at Russia and the United States. Confusion. Threats. Fear. Destruction. Nuclear War. Human's Fear. Mutants Surviving. The smoke and radiation lit the sky._ Charlotte could hear the screams, see the chaos, smell the smoke. Then, Shaw spoke to her.

 _We are the children of the atom. Radiation gave birth to the mutants. What will kill the mutants will only make us stronger._ Ruins and hordes of people surrounded Shaw and his lackeys. Their flag rippled against a blackened sky. Screams poured out from the innocent. The bloodthirsty cried out in glee. Cities were reduced to ashes. The only humans that were left were killed immediately. Absolute corruption and dread. No room for peace.

Horrified by what she saw, Charlotte quickly exited Emma's mind. Emma watched Charlotte grow rigid with cold, calculating blue eyes.

"Beautiful, isn't it, my sister?" Charlotte just stared at her like a hawk before turning to Erik.

"This is far worse than we had previously imagined."


	5. Chapter 5

5) Are the kids okay?

Author's Note: I wrote this because Moira hasn't gotten enough love. I feel like Charles, due to his character, could have cried a little after Darwin's death. So why not Charlotte?

 _Darwin. He will not be forgotten. How could I have let this happen?_ Charlotte shut her tired eyes and leaned ack in her seat. _Angel had to leave. Darwin had to die... Was it wrong to find more mutants? Was it a hopeless cause?_

Beside her, Moira looked up from the book she bought earlier and stared at Charlotte. Most people would have read that her open stare held nothing but frustration, but Charlotte knew better than they did. Moira was just masking concern with pragmatic thinking, just like Erik did.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened," Moira murmured to her softly. "Darwin was protecting the other kids. He appreciated our efforts and our cause. Please, Charlotte, be strong for him." But her words only made Charlotte sniffle and begin to cry.

"I l-lead h-him to this..."

Moira pursed her lips and grabbed Charlotte's hand, giving it a tight, reassuring squeeze. "Charlotte, I... They wouldn't want to see you upset. Please don't cry. He knew what he was doing when he accepted your offer. Remember what you told me that time I was frustrated with my team? Calm your mind."

Charlotte stared at her with her intense blue eyes before clinging to the human and muffling her sobs in her gray jacket. Her gesture was very awkward since they were seated beside each other. Moira stiffened but soon relaxed and wrapped her arms around the telepath.

"Do forgive me, Moira."

"There's nothing to forgive. Don't worry, Charlotte. Shaw will pay for this." Charlotte shut her mouth, nodded solemnly, and stared at the book in Moira's lap.

"Are - Are the kids okay, Moira?" The CIA agent smiled warmly to herself and looked behind her seat.

"They're fine, Charlotte, and they'll be fine. Especially Raven. You have guided her well." They did not let go of each other until the plane landed and exiting passengers gave them strange looks.


	6. Chapter 6

6) Rage and Serenity

Training had gone extraordinarily well to Charlotte, given the fact that most of their recruits had reached their true potential in a matter of days. There was still one person, however, that failed to see his: Erik.

So on one sunny afternoon, she asked the brooding man to join her on a stroll. He always accepted to walk with her because Charlotte did not ask so many questions like Moira or the teens. Also, to Charlotte's delight, she assumed the stoic mutant began to feel at peace with her and, even if the assumption was highly unlikely, trust her.

She went off the path and gestured to the satellite dish nearby. "See that? Try turning it to face us." He glanced at her, unsure, but she nodded again. He needed this lesson.

Erik raised his hands and shakily attempted to make the satellite move, but it would not even budge. Charlotte sighed to herself. She knew this problem did not involve skill. Anger was not Erik's aid like Shaw had told him; it was what was holding him back, a liability that weakened him physically, mentally, and emotionally. After all, his anger stemmed from Shaw, and Shaw would only drag Erik farther and farther down.

Charlotte would not let that happen.

"You know, I believe that true focus lies somewhere between rage and serenity. Would you mind if I, you know..." She twiddled her fingers near her face, asking him permission to read his mind. He shook his head slightly, allowing her to do so.

Charlotte shut her eyes, searching for a precious memory, a memory to give Erik hope, and found it. Erik and his late mother were lighting candles to celebrate Hanukkah. It was Erik's last Hanukkah with his mother. She had gently stroked her face and smiled a tired yet warm smile, a smile that Erik would never see again.

Tears welled up in both of their eyes as Charlotte exited Erik's mind to wipe away her tears. Dazed, Erik stared at Charlotte.

"What did you just do to me?" He sounded broken but not angry at her, so Charlotte hesitantly explained herself.

"I accessed the brightest corner of your memory system. It's a very beautiful memory, Erik. Thank you for sharing it with me."

"I didn't know I still had that." Charlotte felt herself grinning again. He was so broken, so unsure, emotionally still a little boy left and abandoned. And yet, there was sincerity and love still in him. He was not the monster that he believed himself to be. He was just afraid, afraid that revealing his powers would reveal his heart and that he would crumple.

Charlotte knew Erik was special and different from most mutants, who were already quite different from most. The pain he had carried and endured for so many years hardened him. It may have even strengthened him, but that strength he acquired only seemed to hurt him, scar him.

Once she saw his inner beauty, the love in his being, she knew. She knew that she had to save him. She had never met anyone like him, someone who need someone else to lean on and yet someone so captivating.

She knew then and there that she loved him.

xxx

"There is so much more to you than you know," she whispered. For once, Erik hardly had a a word to say. Her watering eyes were glistening instead of reddening. They were full of hope, naive but powerful to Erik. They reminded him not to give in to Shaw, to no longer be Shaw's creation. "Not just pain and anger," she pressed. "There is good, too. I felt it. When you can access all of that, you will possess a power no one can match. Not even me."

 _What is she doing to me?_ Erik blinked back a few tears. He was not prepared for this. He was prepared for deaths, even his, which he assumed early on that that was his greatest adversary. He was wrong. This telepath, Charlotte, who wore her heart on her sleeve and had a childish pour and had obnoxious concern for others, was controlling him. But unlike Shaw, he did not mind it, and she had no iota of a clue. She had to have been controlling him because he found himself wanting to protect her from everything, including Shaw and himself.

"Well, come on!" She chirped, turning his attention back on her. "Move it!" Erik tries again. Only this time, the dish moved quite noticeably, and he felt Charlotte in his mind, guiding him, encouraging him.

As he finished and chortled and smiled hugely, Erik realized something; he wanted her in his mind. He wanted her as his friend, maybe even more. She understood so much about him, even though she enjoyed the privileges of a rich lady. She felt his pain and anger, yet she managed to make all negative feelings melt away when she spoke calmly to him. He no longer felt alone when she was beside him. With Charlotte, he felt like he belonged.

But avenging his late mother mattered first. His revenge drove him over anything, even a silly infatuation. Therefore, Erik only thanked her quietly and pulled her into his arms. She squeaked but quickly returned the embrace.

Erik had never hugged anyone for years. As he pressed his cheek against hers, Erik decided that after killing Shaw, he would either live to play more chess with this telepath or die knowing he had met his equal. No doubt he was furious at himself for letting emotions resurface, but that was half the beauty of their hug. In that embrace, they were together at the point between rage and serenity.


	7. Chapter 7

7) A Moment of Peace

Tomorrow was the day. Tomorrow mankind would either love or hate them for their attempts to stop Shaw. As Charlotte stared at the chessboard in front of her and waited for Erik's next move, her mind's eye was fogging apprehensively. She had no idea how the humans were going to react, but she had to prove Erik wrong. She had to prove that humans had enough good in them to spare them. She knew that killing anyone, even that monster Shaw, was avoidable.

"Shaw's declared war on mankind, on all of us. He must be stopped." Erik briefly observed the telepath before he opened his mouth.

"I'm not going to stop Shaw. I'm going to kill him. Do you have it in you to allow that?" He paused, both furious and anxious, as Charlotte shifted in her seat, eyes back on the board. Still, his face showed hardly any emotion.

"You've known all along why I was here, Charlotte, but things have changed. What started as a covert of mission, tomorrow, mankind will know mutants exist. Shaw, us, they won't differentiate. They'll fear us, and that fear will turn to hatred."

She looked up. He sounded like he was schooling her, but Charlotte knew her equal better than that. He was warning her. He was secretly afraid she would get hurt in the midst of this fight with Shaw because her heart was too fragile to him.

"Not if we stop a war," she persisted gently. "Not if we can prevent Shaw, not if we risk our lives doing so."

"Would they do the same for us?" He snapped. Charlotte sighed and decided to play with fire by placing her hand on his. His whole body shook slightly out of anger, but he did not appear appalled or nettled by her action.

"We have it in us to be the better man," she reasoned.

"We already are!" Erik growled to himself. "We are the next stage of human evolution. You said it yourself."

"No, no. I..." She removed her hand from his to get a much needed sip of her drink.

"Are you really so naive as to think they won't battle their own extinction? Or is it arrogance?"

Erik paused to look into her eyes. He saw remorse but also obstinacy. He also saw that he hurt her slightly, but Erik did not need to be a mind reader to know she was majorly concerned about others, himself included.

Charlotte bristled a little at Erik's accusatory tone and words. "I'm sorry?" She asked warningly. For once, he was close to trying her patience.

"After tomorrow, they will turn on us. But you are blinded because you believe they are all like Moira."

"And you believe they are all like Shaw." She cursed herself for her cracking voice, but Erik just watched her intently, waiting for her next words, her next move. It was as if they were still playing chess, only the game risked the lives of innocent children, merciless villains, and humans. It was a game of wit, a game to see whose ideologies would win.

She took a deep breath and leaned forward. "Listen to me very carefully, my friend: killing Shaw will not bring you peace." It would not make the suffering or the rage dissipate, not one bit.

"Peace," Erik muttered crossly, "was never an option." If Erik could have made the ghosts of his past go away, he would have dealt with the issue years ago. But he couldn't. All that mattered was Shaw's death and Erik's revenge.

But then, he stared at his friend. She had done so much for him. The least he could do was assure her that her efforts to calm his mind have not been in vain. She had taught him so much, no matter how unrelenting he was...

Charlotte shut her eyes and leaned back in her chair. She heard Erik get up, but she did not open her eyes until she felt his warm breath on her face.

"Erik? What is the meaning of -"

"I didn't say I never had moments," Erik whispered tenderly, clasping his calloused hands into her smooth, slender ones. "Moments of peace... because of you."

Charlotte gulped and searched his blue-gray eyes for any ulterior motives. She would not break her promise and read his mind without his permission. However, she was unusually frightened under his softening eyes.

"And why would that be?" Erik chuckled and leaned closer, lips mere centimeters from hers. He found himself wanting, and he had never wanted to kiss anyone so much before.

"I think you're too intelligent, professor, to underestimate our... connection. You, of all people, should know what we have shared, so carelessly, yet so genuinely, in such a finite amount of time."

"My friend..." Charlotte sighed as Erik projected nothing but true affection and admiration. Erik usually expressed his feelings like a stone wall up until that point. Meanwhile, Charlotte, although an open book, could not find the right words to say.

"Don't speak. He lightly kissed her lips, brushed some stray hairs covering her ears, and leaned into one of them, making her shiver. "Just feel." He faced her again before Charlotte leaned in and they kissed passionately. Tomorrow mattered, but tomorrow was tomorrow. What mattered then was their bond, their connection, and their love.

xxx

They were still kissing as Erik led her down the hallway and to his room. Thankfully, no embarrassed teenager was traumatized among them. Erik pulled her closer as he used his powers to open the door.

Raven smirked as she watched the oblivious pair make out. She was a little insulted that they had not even acknowledged her presence yet, but she was more amused more than anything. There she was, lying naked in Erik's bed, planning to seduce him and see if he was loyally attached to his sister. And there they were, kissing ahead of time!

It was not until Charlotte fell on Raven that they even noticed her and stopped. "Raven? What are you doing?!"

Raven smiled innocently at the two of them. Charlotte was as red as a tomato, while Erik was gritting his teeth, looking extremely pissed.

"Don't bite my head off, Lottie! I was just here to see if he was being true to you. Ever heard of looking out for a sister?"

Charlotte stared at Raven, puzzled. "Thank you, Raven. But... Your eyes are red. There's another reason why you're here, isn't there?"

Raven bit her lip. "It's just... Hank made it seem like people, people like me should still hide."

Erik sat down on the bed. It angered and hurt him to see a fellow mutant disgusted with her true form. Those foolish humans saw her form as revolting, but Erik knew that humans would not know perfection if it hit them in the face.

Beside him, Charlotte grasped Raven's hands. Raven was wrong. She was beautiful. Charlotte remembered how amazed she was when Raven entered her kitchen. Mutants were, without a doubt, wonderful creatures. Hank. Alex. Sean. Darwin. Raven. Erik...How could humans have stayed so blind for so long?

"You don't have to hide," Erik assured her. "Have you ever looked at a tiger and thought you ought to cover it up?"

Raven smiled and stifled a laugh. "No, but..."

"You are an exquisite creature, Raven." Charlotte whispered tenderly. Erik nodded in agreement.

"All your life the world has tried to tame you. It's time for you to be free." Raven nodded at Erik and changed into her true form. Then, she stood up and went to the door.

Erik just pulled Charlotte close to him and began kissing her neck, but the telepath gawked at Raven. "No! No! Put some clothes on!"

"Let her have her fun." Raven giggled and Erik winked. Once she closed the door, Erik captured Charlotte's lips. "Besides, you need freedom, too, mother hen." Charlotte rolled her eyes but lovingly kissed him back. Erik was right. She could scold Raven later. What mattered then was their moment of peace.


	8. Chapter 8

8) Pain

She knew she would feel pain, but the pain she felt after Erik broke their connection was truly unbearable. Their plan was impeccable: Erik would meet Shaw in the submarine while Charlotte stayed hidden in their crashed plane. Erik would distract Shaw before Charlotte could control him. But then, Erik had to grab that stupid, awful helmet...

"Sorry, Charlotte." The brunette's eyes were suddenly so wide that Moira sent her another concerned glance. From her mind's eye, Charlotte saw Erik pick the helmet from Shaw.

 _No. Why, Erik?_

"It's not that I don't trust you." He just did not want her to see the murderous thoughts lurking in his head.

 _Erik! Be the better man. You can't do this! There'll be no turning back -_ He put on the helmet, blocking her.

Charlotte shut her eyes so no tears would escape and hit the plane furiously. "No... ERIK! NO!" If anyone else blocked her, like Raven, she would have been annoyed or hurt. But when Erik did it, she was far from annoyed or hurt. She was devastated, because Erik was about to turn against her morals and he turned away from her. Charlotte anticipated this due to her lover's recklessness, but she never imagined it would hurt so much.

Still holding Shaw in place, Charlotte ignored Moira's questions and watched Erik from Shaw's eyes. Erik leaned mockingly into Shaw's outstretched palm and grinned dryly.

"If you're still in there, creator, I'd like you to know that I agree with every word you said. We are the future."

"What is he doing?" Charlotte whispered to herself fearfully. He was agreeing with Shaw? After how much time and energy he spent with their team?

"Unfortunately..." Erik turned from the frozen mutant and paused. Charlotte held her breath. If Shaw was unfrozen, he would have held his, too. "You killed my mother."

Erik turned back to Shaw and held a silver coin in front of his face. "This is what we're gonna do."

Charlotte gasped and stepped farther from Moira. "No! Erik, Erik please..." He was not thinking straight. He would never harm her, would he? Maybe Shaw, but why her? "Please, Erik, mein liebe, my friend..." Behind her, Moira could only stare worriedly at her friend.

"I am going to count to three, and I am going to move the coin." The coin rose from his palm. "One."

"Erik, please..." Tears blurred Charlotte's vision, but she still dutifully held Shaw in place.

"Two." Charlotte panted. Inside her mind Shaw was screaming, begging even.

"Three." The coin slid into Shaw's forehead, into his brain, out of his head. And through its journey, Charlotte released a deafening cry. Moira felt tears trail down her cheeks as she embraced her tormented friend. Charlotte did not even look at her, for she was in such devastating, horrible, insufferable pain. Erik did not appear to care, not like she cared for him. He just watched her.

In the submarine, the blood drenched coin fell to the floor. Shaw was dead. Unbeknownst by the telepath, Erik had heard his lover's screams and froze in shock as tears fell. He had only seen red when he was murdering Shaw. He did not even think about Charlotte inside Shaw's head, feeling his pain, enduring it...

"Charlotte... I'm sorry." He truly accepted his destiny at that point. He was Shaw's creation, after all, a monster, a monster who killed. But for the sake of mutants, Erik would kill for the right reasons.

He was no hero though. If he were, he would have spared the woman he loved.

xxx

More pain came her way, physical pain. Erik had decided to use the missiles aimed at the mutants against their launchers, but Charlotte would not, could not, let that happen and tackled him. She had tried to rip that helmet off his thick skull, but Erik just pinned her down and tried to hit her, barely missing her and startling them both.

Erik forced the others to move back, away from them. Then, shots were fired. Erik easily deflected them as Charlotte stood up.

 _Stupid human,_ Erik thinks. _We mutants won't be subdued by your toys and -_

A grunt. A pause. A gasp. A scream, then another, then another. Erik froze again as Charlotte hit the Cuban sands. Moira lowered her gun, shocked and disgusted with herself, and hurried over to Charlotte. Raven put her hands over her mouth, holding back sobs. Alex and Hank gasped. Sean shook. Angel bit her lip. Even Azazel and Riptide regarded the telepath with pity. The missiles exploded and fell into the seas. The humans sighed in relief. The mutants watched one of their own.

Charlotte was shot.

Erik knelt to the ground and attempted to gently turn Charlotte to her side. He forced the bullet to come out. Charlotte just continued to gasp, not speaking one bit. She herself was in complete shock, beneath all the pain.

Erik barked at the others to stay back again. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry..." How could he have let this happen? No, he would not blame himself for another loss. He was through with that. It was not his fault. If Charlotte had only listened...

He heard the soft steps of the human and glared up at her. "She..." He seethed, raising his hand. "Charlotte, she did this."

Charlotte was shot by a human. A human made her suffer. A human made them suffer.

Moira gagged and clutched her throat. Erik choked her with her dog tags, patiently waiting for her to die in the sand. He only saw red once more as he watched her squirm. Then, Charlotte whispered softly.

"No... Erik... Please..." Erik faltered but kept choking Moira. It was one thing to hurt Charlotte indirectly, but Charlotte's human friend deserved such torment for ruining their lives, their plans.

Charlotte shook in anger, glaring at him. "She didn't do this, Erik. You did." Erik turned to his lover, surprised, and released Moira. The poor woman fell to her knees gasping.

"Charlotte..." Erik considered his words because she was unmistakably right. He indirectly hurt one of the last people he ever wanted hurt. He was truly a monster. He could see it in her watering, deep blue eyes.

Charlotte was shot by him.


	9. Chapter 9

9) Abandoned

Erik had to make this right. He had to convince her to stay with him, even after all he has done.

He watched those huge, innocent blue eyes pull him in, into the guilt, into the shame. Erik never imagined that such a kind person could make him feel so rotten. Then again, this was not just any woman. She was a mutant, like him. She belonged with him. They belonged together despite their differences. Erik was her protector. She was his healer.

 _She has to need me like I need her._

"Us turning on each other, it's what they want. I tired to warn you, Charlotte." The telepath stared up at him with sad, grieving eyes. He found himself shaking her as he held her.

"I want you by my side," Erik continued desperately. "Meine liebe, please..." He could see her doubting and gestured to the others. "All of us...together, protecting each other. We want the same thing."

Charlotte blinked away tears. "Erik... I'm sorry, but we do not." She glared fervently as pain overwhelmed her. "H-How can we be together after what you tried to do to them... And after what you did to me?"

Erik felt tears brimming in his eyes as he lovingly stroked her cheek. "Meine liebe, please..." His begging broke her heart, but her mind knew what was best.

"Erik, I love you." He did not, could not believe that. She winced as she used all her energy to lift up her arm and grasp the hand on her nape. "But... But that doesn't mean this will work out like we want it to. Please. Let me go."

They stared at each other for a few minutes, one panting and one in pure disbelief, both reluctant. Then, Erik stoically beckoned Moira to where he was, stood up, and addressed the other mutants.

"This society won't accept us. We form our own. The humans have played their hand, now we get ready to play ours. Who's with me?"

Sean, Alex, and Hank looked disgusted. Angel looked ready to consider. Azazel and Riptide turned to each other questionably. Raven stared longingly at him, thinking of the freedom his proposition promised. Erik offered his hand to Raven.

"No more hiding."

Raven found herself approaching Erik. But then, she glanced back at Charlotte, her sister, lying helplessly in the sand with the human by her side, and knelt to her.

Charlotte could barely concentrate on a thing, but she sensed something wrong and delved into her sister's longing thoughts and looked up. "You should go with him. It's what you want."

Raven tenderly embraced her sister. "You promised me that you would never read my mind." Charlotte just shook and sniffled helplessly in her arms.

"Raven, I promised you a lot of things. I- I'm so sorry -"

"Hush. It's okay. It's okay. Everything's fine."

"But I will keep this promise," Charlotte whimpered, "you're my sister and I'll always love you."

Raven bit her lips as her yellow eyes glistened with tears. She kissed Charlotte's forehead, trying not to show any emotion. If Raven cried, then Charlotte would cry, and they all knew Charlotte was in enough pain.

Raven turned to the brunette beside her. She was gazing at Charlotte with as much raw emotion as Erik just did, and Raven immediately knew enough.

"Moira?" The brunette aimed a fierce glare at her, but the mutant just shrugged it off. "I'm only asking this: take care of my sister." Moira nodded determinedly, and Raven stood up and accepted Erik's hand.

Raven, Riptide, Azazel, Angel, and Erik all joined hands, ready to leave. Then, Raven turned to Hank and suddenly thought of something.

"Hey, Beast!" The furry mutant turned to her. "Mutant and proud!" Hank just snarled at her and turned away.

Erik was about to order Azazel to transport them out of there when Charlotte's weak voice startled him.

"Erik? Erik? A word... please..." She grimaced as her request came out like a croak, but she did not care enough. She needed Erik.

The metal bender hesitated. He had hoped he could have left her as soon as possible. The sooner he left her, the sooner he was numb again.

 _Damn those eyes..._ He knelt to her side, staring down at her expectantly. He expected a small goodbye, a bit of optimistic advice, or maybe even an insult. What he did not expect was her hands on his and her eyes to water even more.

"I wish I could get inside that head of yours right now," Charlotte whispered bitterly. "It would've made this less embarrassing. Erik? Don't leave. Do you hear me? Don't leave me just yet. You can leave when it's time to leave but now..." Charlotte hated begging, but she saw no alternative.

Erik grinned sadly and released her hands. "Charlotte, it's all or nothing. We must start our paths from now on, and our paths are too different from one another. This is where we depart. You know that. Besides, you don't need me." _And you don't love me. If I don't leave you now, I'll never be able to leave you again._

"Erik, I do! I can't feel my - "

"Goodbye, Charlotte." And with that, Erik joined hands with his new Brotherhood, and they vanished.

"ERIK, NO! NO, DON'T LEAVE!" Charlotte twisted and writhed, clawing the sand beneath her.

"What is it?" Moira took Charlotte's hands. "Charlotte, please tell me -"

"I can't feel my legs."

"What?" By that point, the three other mutants left on the beach had joined the two women. Charlotte repeated herself, and Hank and Moira hoisted her up.

"The h-hospital..." Charlotte had hoped Erik could convince the teleporting mutant to help her. "I - I need..."

"Charlotte, relax. Boys! Get a blanket from the plane!" Alex and Sean nodded and rushed back to the fallen aircraft. Once they returned with the blanket, they laid it on the sand as Hank gently laid Charlotte down.

"I'm going to call for a ride back," Moira announced, rushing towards the plane.

"No!" Charlotte weakly gripped her wrist. "Moira, don't. Moira, don't leave." Charlotte was almost hysterical, frightening them all. They had never seen the usually calm, collected professor so broken.

Moira shut her eyes, trying her best to block out all the anger. Erik had left someone so important, so special to Moira, and the CIA agent swore to herself that she would never do the same.

Therefore, she made Hank get her stuff and waited by Charlotte's side, soothing her with soft words. "Charlotte, don't cry. Please. I'll never leave. I'll never leave."

Moira swore to herself that one day she would get back at the metal bender for hurting this woman, this woman whom she unintentionally loved. Meanwhile, Charlotte swore to never love anyone like she loved Erik again, including Moira.

Unfortunately, they both swore in vain.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Just to be clear, I do ship original Cherik, and I do believe that Erik and Charles loved each other. I also believe, however, that deep down Erik and Charles still desired acceptance, which meant only dating and marrying women. So, I believe they were bisexual. I mean, think about it! They have only been dating and marrying brunettes! Why? Maybe because they remind them of each other?

10) Forgetting her

Charlotte used to be a trusting person, almost by a fault. But when she wiped Moira's mind clean of everything regarding mutants and identities, including her own, Charlotte knew she had changed. She did not trust anyone anymore. Trusting, she learned, preceded loss. She lost her legs. She lost Raven. She lost him.

Thus she would have to lose Moira, too, at least until she needed to be on decent terms with the CIA again. Besides, Moira deserved better. She deserved a normal life with a lovely man or woman and a perky, lively family of her own. She deserved white picket fences and friendly neighbors and cheerful children. She did not deserve constant fear and a dysfunctional troop that did not trust her.

As she watched Moira leave the mansion under her command, Charlotte suddenly felt compelled to follow her. But Charlotte shoved such nonsense out of her mind and turned from Moira's retreating form. She had to forget Moira. Moira had to forget them all.

Charlotte knew she could not protect everyone, but she would try to protect Moira and the remaining children. Protecting Moira meant letting her go, and protecting the children meant letting both Moira and Erik go.

Moira and Erik... Human and mutant. Woman and man. Beautiful and handsome. Warm and cold. Brown eyes and blue gray eyes. Both so different, and yet, similar enough to hold Charlotte's mind and heart captive.

Charlotte pursed her lips and frowned as she wheeled herself back inside the mansion. Who was she fooling? She will never let them go. She cannot. Her mind and heart would not allow it. She would never be free of them.

xxx

They were alone in a hotel room. Short-term conditions were allowed until the Brotherhood could settle somewhere permanently. Erik cooly regarded his newest recruit: blonde, fair, dressed in white, stoic, unashamed, beautiful, voluptuous, blue eyes...

 _"You're not alone. Erik, you're not alone."_

 _You must forget her,_ Erik scolded himself. _You have a new telepath, a better asset._

 _Better than Charlotte?_ Erik stared at the blonde telepath's eyes, her forehead, her legs, even her butt, but Erik could only remember that stubborn professor who refused his ideas, who refused him.

"You mind telling me what's going on in that head of yours?" Emma offered him a drink as she sipped her own, and Erik gladly accepted it. "Not that I care, but you're checking me out rather boldly and I'm curious."

Erik rolled his eyes at her suggestive tone and gulped down his drink. "Kind of bizarre, isn't it? Boldly flirting with the man who killed you lover."

"Not as bizarre as wearing the helmet of the man who murdered your mother." Erik just shrugged carelessly.

Emma lazily swirled her drink around with a dainty finger. "I can help you forget her."

"What?"

"Forget your telepath friend." Emma leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. It had been a rather long day for her. "I can make you forget your pretty lover. A leader's mind must be free of guilt and such trivial thoughts, after all. That is what you are, isn't it, our leader?"

Erik growled and slammed down his empty glass. "Yes, I am your leader. No, I do not need your help. And no... it will not distract me. I will forget her." His eyes coldly met hers. For a second, Emma was actually afraid for her life. "And if you ever bring up Charlotte Xavier again, I will strangle you. And I guarantee that nothing, not a trace of mercy, will stop me from ending your life this time. Do you understand?"

Emma nodded quickly as the metal around them rattled.


	11. Chapter 11

11) Night Terrors, post First Class, pre Days of Future Past

Several years after they left her, Charlotte gradually began to lose herself. Things were looking fairly bright at first. New recruits were pouring in quickly. She and Hank and Alex and Sean were bustling and brainstorming for new ideas. For a while, Charlotte figured she could fool herself.

Then, Alex was drafted. Then, mutants began getting kidnapped, tortured even, including Sean. Then, the night terrors came.

Charlotte soon discovered her subconscious was reminding her of her misery through her powers, but that information did not help one bit. In her dreams, sometimes she saw the school being reduced to ruins with innocent mutants in it. Sometimes she saw Moira being ruthlessly interrogated and tortured. Sometimes she saw them.

Hearing Raven and Erik, however, was worse than seeing them. She _saw_ fantasies. She _heard_ real, suffering mutants crying out for her, even some of the ones she knew. But, she could not help them and risk exposing the dwindling amount of mutants left under her care.

Sometimes, Charlotte felt like a monster, but desperation overrode her guilt as the pleading and begging and crying and screaming got worse each night. Hank would occasionally find her tangled up in her bed sheets, hands over her ears, muttering for them to stop for a moment a peace.

 _A moment of peace... That bastard._ She only saw Raven and him in her dreams, to her relief, until one night. It was a few months before he was imprisoned for supposedly assassinating President John F. Kennedy. (She would find out about that later.) His Brotherhood was torn apart by Bolivar Trasks's forces.

She had been sound asleep when the faintest whisper roused her.

 _Charlotte, Charlotte, please..._ The telepath's eyes popped open and she sat up in bed.

 _He's alive,_ Charlotte thought. She was beyond relieved to know that, but she was also wondering why he did not have his helmet on for once.

 _Yes, I'm alive._ Erik's voice sounded weary, almost broken, but not quite. _Charlotte, darling, I've missed you terribly._

She just crossed her arms and huffed. "Yeah I bet," she whispered crossly. She heard Erik sigh tiredly.

 _I don't have much time. Please. I need your help._

Charlotte snorted and fiddled with her blankets. "And why should I help you?"

 _Because you're my best friend._ She just rolled her eyes and rested her head on her pillow.

"I am truly sorry for what has happened to everyone, including you. But..." Her warm voice hardened as she remembered the taste of Cuban sand in her mouth, the light breeze in her hair, the tears that stung her eyes as she fell..."Friends don't leave other friends behind."

The metal bender banged a wall of the dingy hotel room he was staying in, not caring whom he startled on the other side. _Damn it, Charlotte! I am sorry! But I need you here with me, to save this other mutant._

"You managed to convince Raven into your snare," Charlotte snarled derisively. "What makes you think you can't save another? You can curve metal in midair. You're far too powerful than you think. I wasn't lying about your potential that day." Both mutants definitely knew which day she referred to; it was a distant memory to them, clouded by current fear and dread, almost a lovely mirage.

Erik grinned a little, and Charlotte could not help but grin, too, as she recalled that day. _Yes, I know. That's you being you, honest and sincere. That's why..._ Erik paused. What was he doing? He could not be this open with anyone, not even her. Still, she managed to make him feel regardless of everything. He knew he should not have been so surprised.

Therefore, nothing could hinder the words on his lips. "That's why I love you."

Charlotte froze. Her smile instantly fell. She shivered, even though her room was far from cold. Not too long ago, Charlotte trusted those words far too much. It costed her so much to trust, believe, and love him. After the attack on Cuba, those words were nothing but rubbish in her ears and knives in her stomach.

"No, you don't." She responded hoarsely, her voice cracking as tears fell freely from her cheeks. "You wouldn't..." She hiccupped and stammered as she fell into the blankets. "Y-You wouldn't have..."

"Charlotte..." Erik reached out for her with his mind, but Charlotte was quickly losing herself.

"No no no no NO! GET OUT!" Her hands were back over her ears. Erik projected memories of them together, laughing together, hanging out with the kids, playing chess, hugging, kissing...

"Damn it, Erik! Get out! Is this how you treat your friends? Reminding them of what they've lost?! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! I HATE YOU! GET OUT!...Please..."

Erik trembled angrily as Charlotte cried and screamed. She hated him? After all he had done and tried to do for all mutants, for her?

Hank rushed into Charlotte's bedroom with a needle, a syringe, and other tools. "Charlotte! I finally have something for the night terrors."

"Give it."

Hank winced and glanced at the syringe. It was full. "You know there's a catch, Charlotte. Your powers. They'll - "

"Just give it to me!" She was holding her head and looking him dead in the eye. "I don't care. Just get him out! Get him OUT!"

Hank knew 'he' was Erik ever since she called out for Raven, Moira, and him in her sleep. He calmed her down so he could show her how to inject the serum correctly.

Soon, Erik felt their connection whither away. Her voice softened to murmurs, then whispers, until he heard absolutely nothing. For the first time since he met Shaw and watched him coldly kill his mother, Erik felt abandoned.

"Hank, I loved him." Hank held Charlotte close as she sobbed like a child into his chest. "I loved him. I wanted him out. No more voices. No more guilt. No more shame. No more hurt. I want...sleep."


	12. Chapter 12

12) At Last

"He'll be fine. You've taught him well."

Charlotte pursed her lips and watched Logan's eyes slowly close. She hoped he could handle this. Her past self was not the warmest former professor around, and Erik's past self was, to put it lightly, remarkably insane. And Logan, well...

"He wasn't lying when he said patience wasn't his strongest suit," Charlotte mumbled.

Erik rolled his eyes and smirked in amusement. "Well, at least we're not biting each other's heads off for once."

The professor grinned and gave Kitty a nod of gratitude. "I do not doubt that he'll set things right."

"Then what are you worried about?"

Charlotte smiled sadly at Erik. He always could read her like an open book. "I hope he can handle it. That's all. Hopefully, we won't kill each other before anything significant."

Erik bit his lip and turned from her. "Well, about that, Charlotte..." The elderly woman raised her eyebrows at him and beckoned for him to continue. "I, um, had a son around that time... No wait! Ugh! I met his mother before I met you and, well..." He cleared his throat quite loudly and glanced shyly at her. "I meant to tell you. He was about fifteen in '73, and -"

 _Calm your mind, my friend. You forget I had Cerebro for years. Of course I know about Peter. But that's your business, not mine._

"These are trivial matters," Charlotte told him with a warm smile. "Please. Just take my hand, old friend."

Erik complied and tenderly grasped her offered hand. "I'm sorry about everything."

"I'm sorry for everything, too, but there are no apologies needed. You've apologized so much already. Besides, if these are our last moments together, I'm content. You're my best friend."

Erik shook his head and released her hand. "No. It's not just me, Charlotte. This time, I'm apologizing for what you've lost. Mystique, the kids, Moira..."

The telepath just shrugged sadly. She had cried too much. She had no more tears. She was still awfully sad, but also very exhausted, exhausted from the sadness from loss. Old age did not help either.

"I regret wiping Moira's memories, but at least she's safe. The children knew what they were doing when they volunteered to help me, help us. And we can save who we have lost, Erik. The future is not set in stone yet. We can fix this for them."

Erik nodded solemnly and found himself looking back at her. "And Mys- Raven?"

"What?"

"Her future? What is to become of her?"

Charlotte watched Logan twitch and groan. "I'm sure he'll save her. But no matter what happens, we will make our peace with what has occurred. We have to, until Logan sets things right. Then, we can be together as friends at last. No more fighting."

"And if he fails?"

"Erik..." Charlotte turned to Erik. "We must have faith. We must." Both knew, however, that whether Logan succeeded or not, they would be together in peace, either in another life or a sudden death, at last.


	13. Chapter 13

13) No Professor Here

Charlotte stirred from her nap and rolled her dull blue eyes as she heard Hank growl and several thuds. _Is he seriously in beast mode right now? And who's he fighting? I should care more than I actually should but..._

Charlotte dipped her head back into her pillows. She really, really did not want deal with another parent or anyone else for that matter. She even told Hank to leave her alone for the rest of the day. The serum made her drowsy and have bitching headaches. Plus, it did not help that it was that time of the month.

"Better go see. That chandelier is costly." Cradling her drink, Charlotte put on her brown robe and slowly walked down the stairs to see what all the noise was about.

"Hank?" She called out tentatively. "What's going on here?" Her eyes widened comically at the sight. There Hank was, dangling from the chandelier like a gaudy blue ornament, waving his fists at a muscular man.

 _He looks... familiar._ Charlotte cocked her head at him. Not too long ago, Charlotte would have been embarrassed. She was still in her pajamas and slippers. Her hair was disheveled, and she had no trace of makeup on her face. And, she was pretty sure she looked ghostly pale at the moment. _But now,_ she thought sullenly, _I don't give a rat's ass._

Logan's eyes shifted to the younger version of his mentor. "Professor?"

Charlotte winced. "Please don't call me that."

"Why?" Hank glanced at Logan. "You know this guy?"

"Yeah," Charlotte confessed. "He looks slightly familiar." Then, reminding herself where he was, Charlotte frowned at Hank. "Get off the bloody chandelier, Hank!" Hank dropped down from it.

Logan stared at her, almost in amazement. It kind of creeped her out. "You can walk?"

"You're a perceptive one," she teased, sitting on the staircase.

"I thought Erik..."

"Which makes it odd," she continued, "that you managed to miss the sign on your way in. This is private property, my friend." She took a sip of her drink. The words 'my friend' brought back unsettling memories and a bitter taste in her mouth. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Logan raised his eyebrows. "Well, I'm afraid I can't do that because I was sent here for you."

The former professor shrugged carelessly and put down her drink. "Well, tell whoever sent you that I'm... busy."

"Well, that's gonna be tricky because the person who sent me was you."

"What?" Charlotte's mask of carelessness dropped. _Is he downright crazy? I don't even remember seeing him until now!_

"About fifty years from now," Logan explained. Hank glanced at Charlotte incredulously. There was not a trace of mirth on Logan's serious face.

Charlotte just smiled wryly at Logan. "'About fifty years from now'?" Charlotte decided to amuse herself for a second. "Like, the future 'fifty years from now'?"

"Yeah."

Charlotte snorted to herself. " _I_ sent _you_ from the future?"

"Yeah."

Charlotte scoffed and turned her head. "Piss off, Muscles."

"If you had your powers, you'd know I was telling the truth."

She leaned forward, startled. "How do you I don't have..." Then, her dull eyes narrowed, and her voice turned icy. "Who are you? Are you the CIA?" Logan shook his head. "Have you been watching me?"

"I know you, Charlotte. We've been friends for years." He stared at the woman nostalgically as she stiffened. "I know your powers came when you were nine. I know you thought you were going crazy when it started, the voices in your head. It wasn't until you were twelve when you realized the voices were in everyone else's heads. Do you want me to continue?"

Holding back stray tears, Charlotte glared a little at Logan. "I never told anyone that," she whispered shakily. Hank walked over to her and gave her a small pat on the back.

"Not yet, no, but... you will."

Charlotte gave Hank a small smile before turning to Logan. "Alright, you've piqued my interest. What do you want?"

"We have to stop Raven. I need your help. We need your help."

 _Raven..._ Charlotte shivered a little. _It's been nearly ten years since she left with him, left me._ She looked up at Logan, who stared at her with hopeful eyes, before picking up her drink and standing up.

"I think I'd like to wake up now..." Charlotte would shoot herself before she cried in front of the stranger, so she just walked into another room.

She heard Hank approach Logan. "What does she have to do with this?" Instantly, Charlotte felt more curious than sad and wondered that herself.

Logan just walked into the room where Charlotte was.

xxx

After Logan elucidated, Charlotte stole a glance at him before clearing her throat. "So... you're saying they took Raven's power and... weaponized it?" The idea sounded absolutely revolting.

"Yeah."

"She is unique," Hank pointed out. Charlotte nodded and smiled softly at him. She always knew Hank had feelings for her baby sister and probably always would.

"In the beginning," Logan continued, "the Sentinels were only targeting mutants. Then, they began targeting the genetics of non-mutants..." And Logan went on and on about this tale of the future. Charlotte did care, and it was rather interesting, but it was a very ridiculous idea. Also, it was unnerving to Charlotte when he constantly brought up Raven.

Then, the stranger, Logan, had to bring Erik into the mess.

"Raven won't listen to me," Charlotte grunted. "Her heart and soul belong to someone else now." Porbably Erik, according to Charlotte.

"I know. That's why we're gonna need Magneto, too."

Charlotte rose from her seat and turned to him, almost hopefully. "Erik?"

"Do you know where he is?"

"Yes." Charlotte had enough of this. She walked away, drink in hand. "That's enough bullshit. He's where he belongs."

Logan stood. "Could you give me that one more time, please?"

"You heard me," Charlotte snapped, still walking. "He's where he belongs."

"You're just gonna walk out?" Logan stared at her skeptically.

"Like I said, you're a perceptive one."

Logan raised his voice. "The professor I know would never turn her back on someone who'd lost their path, especially someone she loved."

 _He has no idea, absolutely no idea! It's all too much._ Suddenly, she paused and turned back around to grin mockingly at Logan. "You know, I think I do remember you now." She walked towards him. "Yeah... A tall, angry fellow with contentious hair." She got in his face, but he did not move an inch. "We came to you long ago seeking your help. And I'm gonna say to you what you said to us: Go **** yourself!" She laughed dryly and turned around, but Logan roughly grabbed her arm and made her look him in the eye.

"Listen, you selfish bitch!" He shouted angrily. "I've watched a lot of people die, good people, friends. If you want to wallow in self-pity and do nothing, then you're gonna watch the same thing. You understand?"

Charlotte returned his fervent glare with her own and yanked her arm away. "Well, we all have to die at some point, do we?" And with that, she stormed off coldly. She needed another dosage.

"I told you." Hank finally spoke again to Logan. "There's no professor here."

Logan watched the brunette leave with a small frown. "What happened to her?"

Hank watched her leave, too. He took a deep breath before explaining. "She lost everything..."


	14. Chapter 14

14) Old Friends, New Friends

 _Bored, oh so mindlessly, terribly bored..._

Erik was laying on his cot in his cell in his underground prison when a tray of his lunch hit his bed. Erik stared at the tray, puzzled.

 _That's weird,_ he thought. _I feel like lunch should be later. Oh well. Wait... 'Mind the Glass'... What the -_

 ** _BOOM!_**

xxx

Logan and Charlotte were soon very close to Erik's cell. They just had to meet Peter once he had Erik free. Hank was left upstairs to do the hacking.

Charlotte knew she was doing the right thing, but she did not want to see that infuriating, unpredictable _monster._ She hated him so much for what he did to her. Yet, despite everything, Charlotte was slightly happy to get to see Erik again after almost ten years. A small part of her still loved him and considered him a friend. She had loved him and Moira so much, but things had obviously changed. Moira had to leave her, Erik chose to leave her, and Charlotte learned after years of silence that it was better to forget than to forgive.

No, she could not forget, not then. She had to see Erik for the sake of future mutants. Their mission was not about her past relationship. It was about the future and securing it.

They were in a kitchen. Then, guards poured into the kitchen, and Charlotte instantly had an idea.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" She addressed the guards. They had their guns aimed at Logan and her. "This is a code red situation. We are evacuating the entire floor so we, er, um, my..." She gave Logan a pleading look, but he just rolled his eyes. "...So my associate and I can, well, secure the prison."

A guard stepped closer to him. "And who are you?" He demanded.

Charlotte grinned as charmingly as she could, even though she was very nervous. "Sir, we are special operations CIFDB...C." The unconvinced guards did not move an inch. "Look, perhaps you didn't hear me when I first spoke, but it's imperative that you understand we are in complete lockdown. We have to get you to the third floor -"

Logan rudely shoved her, grabbed a pot, and hit the guard on the head. Then, he hit the other guards, leaving Charlotte speechless.

"Oh I'm so sorry," Logan apologized sarcastically. "Were you finished?"

She just chuckled sheepishly and backed up, her back hitting the elevator. "I'm just not very good with violence..."

The elevator suddenly opened, revealing Peter and Erik in prison attire. Charlotte turned around and froze, not believing what she was seeing. Erik cocked his head. He thought he would never see her again.

 _What's she doing here?_ "Charlotte."

That brought her back to reality. At first, she looked a little relieved. Then, she raised her fist and punched him in the face. Erik did not expect the punch, nor did he expect his nose to burn as much as it did. He hit the floor and hissed.

Charlotte towered over him with a snarl. Logan just rolled his eyes again, already tired of all the drama. Peter smirked.

Erik touched his nose and grimly smiled at Charlotte. His nose was very bloody. "Good to see you, too, old friend."

"Drop dead."

"Would you prefer 'mein schatz'?"

"I prefer my fist in your face."

Peter snickered childishly. She reminded him of his mom. "I like her."

Erik groaned and clawed the wall to help himself stand up. "So did I, kid." Insinuating hard feelings, Erik stared at Charlotte, whose crystal blue eyes shined furiously at him. "So did I."

xxx

Peter was fast, and his ability sometimes made him impulsive and not very attentive to the details. Still, sometimes he noticed things. Sometimes, he noticed enough.

He definitely noticed how the moody brunette was looking at the metal bender and how he was looking at her.

His mother once told his little sister that she will have to kiss several frogs before she kisses her prince. Peter considered that decent advice, considering that his mother had a fling with a certain frog that left her a single mother with three kids. Still, Peter thought strenuously and found no word of advice from his mother that could answer his questions.

 _My dad moved metal. This Erik guy moves metal. Could he be my father, or at least related to him?_

 _"Your father... He controlled metal. He was dangerous and nothing short of a monster."_

 _"Remember, kid." The brunette, Charlotte, stared concerningly at the tall preteen. "The mutant you're rescuing is unpredictable and dangerous. He's a monster. Be careful around him. Don't anger him."_

 _Did this Erik guy mean something to Charlotte?_ Peter was not one to pry, but he could not help but be curious.

 _"Would you prefer 'mein schatz'?" My dear..._ His mom taught him a bit of German and insisted he learn more German, so he did. For some reason, she really loved German, obsessed with it even.

 _Should I say something to Erik, Charlotte, the nerdy kid, or the man with the gross claws? Would they believe me if I told him that I could be the son of..._

"Peter?" The preteen turned to Logan, who gave him an impatient look. "Come on, kid! We're leaving!"

The silver-haired kid nodded and zoomed out of the Pentagon. He could not wait to tell his mom about the metal bender and the strange woman. When he saw them together, it was like seeing how his mom and dad reunite, ultimately pissed at one another but still sharing a connection. Only, Peter sensed he and Logan were intruding, intruding on a deep, intense reconnection between two people. Erik had looked at the woman like he had loved no one else before, but the look lasted for mere seconds. Peter could have imagined their chemistry and dismissed it as a lack of perceptiveness on his part.

Nevertheless, he could not help but ask. "Mom... Are you sure you're my mom? Or... do you have a twin sister or something? See, I may have met my dad - "

He winced as her coffee cup hit the floor, breaking into many pieces.


	15. Chapter 15

15) Heart of Metal, Heart of Ice

 **I saw the movie, but some things might be really different. It's been a while since I saw the movie, as you can clearly tell. Sorry. Enjoy!**

 _Well this isn't awkward at all..._ Erik could feel Charlotte's icy stare burning on him. That was what he loved most about her; she could be sweet one minute and fierce the next. He could miss her one day and detest her the next. She had been selfless, and then she had been selfish. She was unpredictable, and still, he never knew so much about a person who was not kin to him. She always had the best intentions, even if misguided.

Erik, Charlotte, Hank, and a brooding, unfamiliar man who Erik did not care to know about were on a flight to Paris. Peter was sent home. Hank thankfully told Erik the details of their mission. Erik did not feel like conversing with Mr. Muscle Macho Man, and he knew Charlotte definitely did not want to speak to him again. They were going to intercept Raven before she assassinated Trask, Bolivar Trask, and before Trask used her DNA to create the Sentinels.

 _And these Sentinels will kill mutants... And we're all listening to some stranger..._ Erik glanced at the stranger. Logan was his name. Or was it Luke? Erik could not care any less. He was probably downright crazy. How could he trust him? How could Charlotte and Hank trust him?

"So..." Erik chuckled a little and glanced at Charlotte. "You and Lucas here?" Erik was not one to lie to himself. He was jealous, and the idea of choking Muscles seemed very appealing to him at the moment.

"Logan." The man sneered. Erik did not have to look at Charlotte to know she was blushing.

"Erik, you - you - Don't be immature! It's not like that!"

"I never imagined the crazy kind being your type."

"I suppose that's what drew me to you," Charlotte responded smartly. "My type... murderous and crazy. Hmm..." Erik saw the slightest trace of amusement on her face. "Sounds familiar, Erik love?"

"I'm crazy? Who even is this guy? Can we trust him?"

Logan sighed deeply before unleashing his claws. Erik barely flinched, but he was fairly impressed.

"Crazy? Says the man who assassinated Kennedy." Erik gave Logan a dirty look.

"I didn't kill him."

Charlotte spoke up this time. "Erik, the bullet curved."

"Because I was trying to save him," Erik defended himself. He turned to Charlotte. She still looked pretty pissed. "They took me out before I could."

Her eyes softened, and she looked straight into his eyes. She seemed more confused than angry. "Why would you try and save him?"

"Because he was one of us."

Charlotte looked down at her hands, which were settled in her lap. Erik turned away from her, expecting some reprimanding, even some yelling, which he could never handle.

"That's... That's wonderful, Erik. Heroic even."

"Pardon?" Erik turned so quickly he startled Charlotte. She cleared her throat and repeated what she said.

"Oh... Thank you." He tried to give her a half-hearted smile, but it ended as a grimace. Charlotte would not look him in the eye after that.

Her icy mood returned all too soon. "I guess you're not always a heartless bastard."

It came out less harsher than she hoped. Still, she could tell it nettled him, and that itself was satisfying.

No one said a word for several more minutes until Erik spoke up again.

"How did you lose them?" Charlotte stiffened. She assumed he meant her powers. Before they split up in Cuba, their mental connection was so strong that they sensed everyone else in the mansion knew about it. Both felt a little more lightweight ever since. It was both pleasant and dreadful.

"The treatment for my spine affects my DNA."

Erik looked up. "What treatment? Is that why you can walk?" Charlotte nodded stiffly. His eyes narrowed incredulously. "You sacrificed your powers so you could walk?"

"I sacrificed my powers so I could sleep," Charlotte spat bitterly. She turned away. "What do you know about it?"

Erik still stared at her, his expression hardening. "I've lost my fair share."

"Ha!" Charlotte laughed dryly. "Dry your eyes, Erik." Her eyes shined viciously. "It doesn't justify what you've done."

Erik clenched his fists. _Who is she to accuse me? To accuse me of anything? Everything I've done was for mutants or for those I love, including her. How dare she!_

"You," he hissed, "have no idea what I've done." He hunted mutants down to save them. He spilled blood and threatened countless men to spare Charlotte and her school. He tracked down vile, disgusting humans to protect and avenge his family and kind. She had no idea, no idea at all.

 _How dare he! He pretends he's innocent as if I'm a fool. Well, I'm no longer the fool. Not anymore._ "I know you took the things that mattered most to me." _My legs, my dignity, my innocence, my hope, my Raven..._

"Well maybe you should've fought harder for them." He stared stoically at her as she fumed, eyes crystallizing to slits of cold, unfeeling ice. Her lovely red lips turned in a snarl. If she was pissed minutes ago, she was absolutely furious now.

"You want a fight, Erik?! Huh?!" Charlotte stood up. Erik followed soon after. "I will give you a fight!"

Logan rolled his eyes. He was beyond exhausted by all this drama. "Sit down!" He shouted dully.

"Let her come," Erik told Logan lowly, as Charlotte roughly grabbed his stiff shoulders and shook them. _She can't hurt me. Not anymore. Not anymore than she has._

"YOU ABANDONED ME!" Charlotte screamed at him. He just stared at her cooly as tears trailed down her cheeks. "You took Raven away, and you abandoned me!"

"Angel...Azazel..." The plane began to tilt. "Emma... Banshee..." Dishes fell to the floor and slid. Charlotte stumbled. Erik raised his voice. "Mutant brothers and sisters... All dead!"

The plane's controls began to freeze. The plane dipped, and Hank instantly lost control of the aircraft.

"Countless others, butchered, experimented on!" Charlotte fell onto the couch. She had never see him this enraged, and it was absolutely terrifying to her. It did not help that he was right.

"WHERE WERE YOU, CHARLOTTE?! WE WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THEM! WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOUR PEOPLE NEEDED YOU?! HIDING! YOU AND HANK! PRETENDING TO BE SOMETHING YOU'RE NOT!"

"ERIK!" Hank yelled at the metal bender from the plane's controls until he could steady the plane. Even when the plane was steady, tension was still thick. Erik still gave her that cold, unforgiving stare.

"You abandoned us all!"

Charlotte quickly brushed past Erik, muttering that she needed to lay down, and went farther into the aircraft, out of their sight. As soon as she left, Erik groaned, sat back down, and downed his drink. Charlotte was not an extremely sensitive woman, but Erik knew when she needed her space. Besides, he was certainly not inclined to follow her.

He knew her best and worst, just like she knew his best and worse. They were each other's halves, even when they both loathed each other.

Even when Erik tried to think optimistically, the damn headache would not go away.

Feeling. Erik hated feeling. Erik hated his emotions. He hated being vulnerable, hated when his emotions were uncontrollable or when his sensible side was not in control in general. If he were unfeeling, avenging mutants with a metallic heart, he would not have cried or raged when Shaw killed his mother. He would not have sobbed with guilt when he was plagued with the faces of those he killed. He would not have forced a flirty smile for Magda. He would not have fallen for Ms. Xavier...

Feelings made him despise Charlotte. Whenever she was around, she evoked so many feelings from him, unfamiliar feelings. She had made him feel loved. She had made him feel inconquerable. She had made him feel like the scum of the Earth, worthless, heartless. Erik knew he was all these things, but Charlotte forced him to face his deficits and immorality with contempt.

The worst part was that she had no idea.

Erik heard Logan snort. "So you always were an asshole..."

The metal bender just rolled his eyes. He did not want to start a conversation with this guy, but maybe one or two hints of the mission would help.

Reluctantly, Erik opened his mouth.


	16. Chapter 16

16) The Guilty

"One round?" Erik gestured to the chessboard beside him. Charlotte quirked an eyebrow at him. _Is he serious?_ They fought less than two hours ago.

Erik shrugged and turned a side of the board to her. "We have a couple more hours to go before we reached Paris," he reasoned. "Would it kill you?"

Reluctantly, Charlotte faced him. She usually could never resist a game of chess. He knew that all too well. "White or black?"

"Black." They began the game in silence. No one spoke again until Charlotte won and Erik wanted to play another round.

"Come now, Erik." Her lips curved upwards, fighting back a fond smile. "You said one round."

"I didn't know you'd cheat."

"How can I cheat without my powers?" The tension returned with the playful question. Erik scowled at the board as Charlotte fiddled with a pawn.

"My friend," she whispered, pained. "I'm sorry."

Erik looked up from the board. "What?"

"I'm sorry I abandoned my kind. I'm sorry I gave up my powers. I just..." Tears came back to her eyes. "I - I just couldn't bare it any longer. The crying, the begging, the pain..." Charlotte looked all around her then returned Erik's stare. "I guess it reminded me too much of myself. But... Why did you leave me?"

Her voice sounded so soft, so broken, that Erik did not have it in his heart to lie to her. "Because everything I've done has been for my family, my kind, and you. Charlotte, don't lie to me. You wanted me to leave that day. I could see it in your eyes. You wanted me to leave."

Charlotte looked appalled by his answer. "Erik, you imbecile! I didn't want you to leave because we had different opinions! I love you!"

"And I you," Erik swore. "But we're not drinking tea in your mansion anymore, mein liebe. We're enemies. It's for the best."

"Is it?" Her brow furrowed. "Or is it what's best for you?" More silence ensued for several minutes until Erik spoke up again.

"I am sorry for what happened to you, Charlotte." He reached for her hand and took it, giving it a gentle squeeze. "It was not my intention to hurt you." Her eyes shifted to her lap. Erik squeezed her hand again. He had to see her eyes, just another time; it may be the last.

"Charlotte?" He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Charlotte, look at me." She did, putting Erik at ease. He stared at her eyes for a minute before continuing.

"I can say that I've only been truly unsure of myself, truly helpless, when I was with Shaw... and with you. Unlike Shaw, you gave me the biggest reason to appreciate life again." He said this with a stone cold face, but his eyes were pools of mixed emotions. "And the reason for that is I've never loved any woman like I loved, still love, you."

He removed his hand from hers as if she burned it. "But things have changed. Things always change..."

Charlotte pinched the bridge of her nose, looking beyond irritated, but spoke calmly. "Erik, I love you, too. But this fighting, these idealogies of ours... We're at a point where these matters are trivial, our feelings and our beliefs. Please, Erik. Please just stay on my side until this is all over."

Erik studied her stoically. "I'm _always_ on your side. But can we trust him?" He nodded his head to Logan, who was napping in his seat.

"Yes," Charlotte answered confidently. "I have faith in him."

"Only because he's a mutant?"

"Erik, I'm not stupid. Of course not!" She lowered her voice once Logan began to toss and turn in his sleep. "He knows about my bloody powers, Erik. He knew before I knew his name!"

Erik smiled with mirth. "Of course it would take a mutant from the future to bring us back together, would it?"

Charlotte was not amused. "Laugh when it's over, Erik. I don't particularly like the idea of my sister's life on the line!"

Erik frowned concerningly. "He told you that?"

"No, but you heard what Hank told you. Raven could be tortured in Trask's grasp. No, she will be if we don't stop him." Then, her eyes lit up. "When's the last time you saw her?"

"The day I left for Dallas. That was years ago..."

"How was she?"

Erik leaned back in his seat, looking thoughtful. "Strong. Driven. Loyal..."

"How. Was. She?" Charlotte was losing her patience again, if there ever was any left after losing her students and friends. It was not because she was jealous of her own sister. Absolutely not!

"Well... I can see why she meant so much to you." He grinned fondly to himself. "You should see her, Charlotte. She's like my daughter, fighting for our cause."

"You mean your cause," Charlotte snapped. "The girl I raised was not capable of killing."

Erik scoffed. "Don't be foolish. You didn't raise her. You grew up with her. She couldn't stay a little girl forever. She's no longer your Raven. She's Mystique. That's why she left."

"She left because you brainwashed her. You got inside you head!"

"That's not my power. That's yours." Charlotte huffed, grabbed the blanket beside her, and leaned back in her seat. They seemed to never agree with each other.

"That's enough. We need our sleep."

"Very well. Goodnight."

"... Goodnight, love."


	17. Chapter 17

17) Sacrifices

 **Sorry I'm updating so much, but my break's almost over! Hopefully, I can finish this in time. Enjoy!**

Nothing mattered anymore, absolutely nothing else mattered to Charlotte when she saw Raven, her sister. The poor girl was trembling and convulsing from a sudden shock, bewildered and relieved when Charlotte knelt to her level and cupped her face.

"Charlotte..." Her face broke into a smile, the same smile she wore on the day Charlotte met her.

Charlotte sighed with relief. Erik was wrong. Raven was still her little girl, her Raven. She had made some mistakes, but that did not mean she could not be saved. She had stumbled and lost her way, but Charlotte was determined to help bring her back home, where she belonged, with Charlotte.

"Yes, I'm here," Charlotte assured her, brushing her red hair away from her face. "Erik and I. We're going to get you out of here. Together." She thought she heard Erik grab a gun from a fallen human, but Charlotte ignored him. He was probably doing it just to defend himself.

Sacrifices had to be made for all mutants, Charlotte decided. She was going to leave Erik on his own, since that was what he wanted. Then, she was going to convince Raven to go home with Hank and her.

"I'm going to keep you safe," Charlotte promised Raven. "I'm going to keep you out of their hands. Always."

Raven's eyes suddenly goggled at Erik, who was now right behind Charlotte. Charlotte instinctively shielded Raven from Erik and raised her hand. Erik had the gun aimed right at Raven, ready to shoot.

His steely eyes regarded them cooly, but he could not stand the way Charlotte was looking at him with absolute dread and shock.

 _I have to do this,_ Erik projected to Charlotte, even though he knew she no longer had her powers. _It's either Mystique or all of us. Sacrifices must be made._

"Erik? Erik, what are you doing?"

"Securing our future," Erik replied smoothly. "Forgive me, Mystique. As long as you're out there, we'll never be safe."

"Erik..." Hank froze. He could not believe Erik would take such extreme measures! Beside him, Logan unsheathed his claws, ready to strike.

But then, Logan saw a haunting, familiar face and crouched to the ground. Terror swelled up inside him. Memories, cruel and painful, flashed in his mind, foreshadowing a miserable existence. He was drowning. He was suffering. So much pain because of one man...

Raven glanced at Charlotte. She showed her fear half-heartedly, but Charlotte knew her sister like the back of her hand; she was beyond terrified.

"Your powers, Charlotte. Stop him!" Flabbergasted, Charlotte shook her head at Raven.

"I..." Realization dawned on Raven before Erik could shoot, and she instantly sprinted off of the table and to the window. Erik did shoot, but Hank knocked him to the ground as he fired the gun. The bullet, however, followed another path. Erik curved it to where it missed Charlotte's head and hit Raven's calf.

Chaos ensued. Screams, including her own, buzzed in Raven's ears as glass pierced her skin and she fell on the pavement. Erik levitated and followed her outside. Inside, Charlotte shakily got up on her feet. Hank turned into Beast.

Meanwhile, Logan was recovering from his strange episode. (Unbeknowest by him, he almost failed to complete his mission. Still, he could never forget Stryker...) Then, he saw Beast and released a manly scream.

"What is that?!" Beast stared at him incredulously as Charlotte tried to calm him down.

"Calm down! Now is not the time for - Oh no." Charlotte studied him knowingly.

"What? What is it?"

"Someone gave you really bad acid..." This was certainly not the best time.

"Stay here with him," Hank instructed, running to the broken window. "I'll handle Erik!"

"Hank, no! Wait!" Charlotte knew Erik awfully well, too, and she knew when he would stop at nothing to get a job done. One way or another, he was going to kill Raven.

Charlotte was useless. She could do nothing to help her sister. Hank could not stop him either. Erik was merciless while fighting.

"Raven, please get away while you still can." Charlotte whispered to herself, as she watched Raven stumbled away from Erik, who was engrossed in a fight with Hank.

How would she ever find peace with them, even with a time traveler? How could anyone secure the future of mutants when humans feared them so?

Charlotte saw the fear in every human's eyes as they watched Raven, Erik, and Hank fight and scramble. Whatever she had tried to do, she had failed. She had failed Raven, and, potentially, failed future mutants. They all failed.

The pain of the past had tarnished her future and every other mutant's future. She knew what she had to do next; sacrifice her sanity.

She had to listen to the damn voices again.


	18. Chapter 18

18) Hope

 _No more... No more of it. I can't take it. I can't._

 _But there's Raven. She's alone. They're all so alone. And Erik..._

 _Enough! I won't do anymore! No!_

Logan watched Charlotte's inner struggle with warm eyes as she glared at Cerebro and wheeled a bit away from it, _from that monstrous contraption._ She could give up the serum. She could face what she had lost. But, she could not handle those voices, their voices, crying out to her in so much agony, so much pain...

Erik was right. She abandoned them. She abandoned him.

But Charlotte could not make amends. What could she do? She was rusty with her powers, she almost damaged Cerebro, and she let Raven storm off. Her sister was probably on her way to Trask.

"Try again," Logan insisted. "It is a little worn out?"

Charlotte shook her head sullenly. Her eyes were still trained on Cerebro. "You don't understand. It's not a question of being rusty. I can flip the switches. I can turn the knobs." Her eyes met his. Logan was taken aback by their dulllness. "But, my power doesn't come from here." She pointed to her head. "It comes from here." She pointed to her heart. "And it's broken. I feel like one of my students, helpless." Fresh tears stung her eyes.

"It was a mistake coming down here," she whispered. "It was a mistake freeing Erik. This whole thing is just one big, bloody mistake!" The tears blinded her now, but she still decided to wheel herself slowly away. "I'm sorry, Logan, but they sent back the wrong man!"

"You're right," Logan confessed, following her. "I am." He blocked her path and gently turned her wheelchair to face him. "Actually, professor, it was supposed to be you. But I was the only one physically capable of making the trip." Logan paused. He was not an excellent persuader or comforting guy.

"I don't know how long I've got here honestly... But I do know that a long time ago, actually a long, long time ago, I was your most helpless student. You, Charlotte, _you_ unlocked my mind." Her eyes widened as she absorbed what he was saying. "You showed me what I was, and you showed me what I could be. I... _I_ can't down that for you. You're right. But I think I know someone who can."

He leaned closer. Their eyes stayed firmly locked as Logan whispered, "Read my mind, Charlotte."

She drew back in disbelief. "You... You saw what I did to Cerebro. You don't want me inside your head."

"There isn't any damage you can do that hasn't already been done," Logan insisted patiently. "Trust me."

Breathing heavilly, Charlotte hesitantly laid a few fingers on both sides of Logan's head and delved inside it. Pain, suffering, smiles, love, hatred, regret, death... It hit her all at once.

 _Logan was drowning. Logan was screaming. Experiments, cruel and endless experiments... And blood, and so much gore and torture he witnessed and endured..._

 _Then, a woman, smiling warmly at him, greeted him._

 _"Hey, Logan."_

 _"Hey, Jean."_

 _More blood. More devastation. More loss. More pain._

 _The woman, Jean, the love of his life, cried in front of him. Destruction surrounded them._

 _"Kill me," she begged._

 _"I love you!" His claws sank into her stomach. She fell into his arms. Pain swelled in him. Pain is all that's left of him._

Horrified, Charlotte exited his mind. Logan just stared solemnly at her as she shivered.

"You poor, poor man..." He lost his dignity. He lost his mind. He lost Jean.

Logan shook his head slightly. "Look past me."

"No!" Charlotte cried hoarsely. "NO! I don't want your suffering... I don't want your future!" Her fingers were still trembling on his head though.

"Look past my future. Look for yours."

 _Who can help me now?_ Charlotte wondered cynically as she entered Logan's mind and closed her eyes. When she reopened them, she froze. She was no longer in her wheelchair in front of Logan. She was on a table in a monastery. A young girl emitted energy in her mind while two older mutants watched her intently. She delved into their minds, which were full of awful memories.

 _So Logan was right... Mutants will be threatened. Mutants will have to hide._

Charlotte sat up and stood from the table. (In her mind, she could walk freely.) She peered at the standing mutant, an elderly man. He wore a familiar frown and wore a familiar cape and attire...

 _Erik! He's here... with me._

The other mutant beside him, an elderly woman, sat comfortably in her wheelchair and regarded her with kind, bright blue eyes. Her eyes...

The elder Charlotte, Professor X, smiled warmly at her. "Charlotte."

Charlotte chuckled in disbelief and gripped the armrests of the chair. "Charlotte." She looked around her gloomily. "Is this what is to become of us? Erik was right... Humanity does this to us."

"Not if we show them a better path."

Charlotte stared at her older self skeptically. "You still believe?"

"Just because someone stumbles and loses their path doesn't mean they're lost forever," Professor X reasoned tenderly. "Sometimes we all need a little help."

"I'm not the woman I was," Charlotte argued. "I open my mind up and it almost overwhelms me..."

"You're afraid." Professor X remembered that numbing, insufferable fear in her younger self. "And Cerebro knows it."

"All those voices..." Charlotte whispered tearfully. "They hold so much pain..."

Professor X shook her head and patted Charlotte's hands. "It's not their pain you're afraid of, Charlotte. It's yours. And as frightening as it can be, that pain will make you stronger. If you allow yourself to feel it, embrace it, it will make you more powerful than you have ever imagined." Her voice softened with slight desperation as she continued. "That's the greates gift we have: to bear their pain without breaking. And it comes from our most human part of us: hope."

Professor X leaned forward. "Charlotte, we need you to hope again."

Charlotte nodded and drew back, planning to exit Logan's mind. But then, Professor X grasped her hands tightly.

"Dear, another human part of us is love. Don't give up on the people you love: Raven, Moira, Erik..." She shook slightly, and Charlotte was forced to remind herself that this woman, though seemingly wise and strong, was still Charlotte, the broken, unsure, limited, older, exhausted Charlotte.

"He will always love you as much as you love him...But you cannot give up. Continue hoping."

Charlotte opened her eyes. Logan was in front of her again.


	19. Chapter 19

19) Logan's fall

 **Author's Note: I know I really need to get rid of my Cherik obsession, so I might create my own OTP challenge and write until I get bored. Oh well! Enjoy!**

 _Stubborn girl. Stubborn, reckless girl..._

Charlotte had tried to reason with Raven, but her sister's mind was made up. She was already on a plane to D.C., to the White House, to the president and Trask. She planned to kill them and anyone who stood in her way.

Meanwhile, Charlotte's headstrong, extreme ex was on his way to D.C., too. She did not need to be a mind reader to know that. She knew his intentions were good, but Erik always fought wrongly, misguidedly...

 _Your main concern is Raven,_ Charlotte reminded herself as Hank drove her and Logan to the White House. _And damn it if he gets in my way I'll have to fight him!_

The three of them arrived at the presentation of the Sentinels that was held in front of the White House. It was cut short, however, by Erik, alias Magneto.

 _I was beginning to get worried. Erik always brings sarcasm even in the midst of destruction..._

The metal bender, wearing his prized helmet, raised the massive stadium above the White House. While the humans fled, Charlotte senses Raven; she had managed to follow the president and Trask to a safe room.

Charlotte gripped her armrests and scowled. _Damnit, Erik! I almost had her!_

The telepath soon found out, however, that there were other things to worry about in the chaos. Erik lowered the stadium, and a huge chunk of it was about to fall on her!

 _Oh my..._

Charlotte removed her sunglasses and, thinking quickly, hopped out of her wheelchair and hit the grass. She used every bit of her upper body strength to crawl away from the destructive fragments. Then, she looked around her. Hank and Logan were nowhere to be seen.

xxx

Raven suppressed a smirk as she watched the Secret Service members, the president, and Trask squirm in the safe room. She had fooled them, disguising herself as a member, pretending to be one of them. She would soon have her chance to kill Trask and avenge all whom he tortured and killed.

 _You better be afraid... You better cry for mercy liked the innocent mutants you tortured and murdered. And for what? Because you were afraid, all of you, afraid of what you could not, cannot, and will never understand._

xxx

Logan and Hank climbed to the top of one heap of ruin and rubble. Charlotte was trapped, but she assured them that she would be fine and that Magneto was their prime target. There he was, in front of a Sentinel he had control over. He had control over all of them, and he would use them to find the humans.

"I probably shouldn't ask this," Hank meekly piped up, "but in the future, do I make it?"

Logan slightly shook his head. "No." Hank looked appalled and pretty scared by that tidbit. "But we can change that."

Hank, who appeared to have recovered, took off his glasses and went into Beast mode. Erik noticed this and turned to the Sentinel.

"Do what you were made for." The Sentinel followed the order by shooting at the two other mutants. They both hid from the shots. Then, Logan fought with the monstrous machine. The fight did not last long, however, because Hank impressively jumped on the Sentinel, distracting him.

"I've got this!" Hank shouted urgently. "Go!" Logan nodded and headed for Erik, who was trying to locate the hidden humans.

He dropped his hands once he saw Logan coming towards him and sent chunks of metallic ruin at him. Logan managed to swipe them away until Erik sent a chunk of cement laced with metal. It hit Logan from behind, knocking him to the ground. Erik stoically made the metal twist and stab different parts of his body, making Logan cry out in pain. Then, he forced the metal, and thus Logan, to rise.

Erik looked almost remorseful. But then, he murmured, "So much for being a survivor." With no more words, he flicked Logan away, sending him to the bottom of the Potomac.

xxx

In the future, Erik watched Charlotte gasp and cry silently over Logan's body. She was seeing what Logan was experiencing. He wished he knew what was going wrong, but he did not want to upset anyone further and just squeezed Charlotte's hand.

 _Oh Erik..._ She and Kitty shared a look of utter defeat. _He's drowning. We've failed!_


	20. Chapter 20

20) Goodbye for now

 **I'm putting this on hold for now. Hopefully, I can get the "Apocalypse" part done after that. Enjoy!**

She had done it. Charlotte had convinced Raven not to kill. She had even convinced Raven to allow her to control Erik, only for a moment, and only because she was trapped under ruin.

After Charlotte was free, Hank helped lift her up and support her. After she released Erik, he blinked bemusedly before looking at his fallen helmet and forthwith understanding what had happened. He turned and saw Charlotte and Hank, but he focused solely on Charlotte.

"If you let them have me I'm as good as dead," Erik bluntly told her. "You know that."

"I know." They both knew, however, that he would be just fine. They would both be fine separately. In fact, both would be better off separately. But, despite it all, they both wanted to stay together, forget all that occurred.

Erik stared at her stoically. "Goodbye, old friend." _Goodbye for now, mein liebe._

Charlotte felt herself grin ever so slightly. She did not realize up until then how much she missed the sound of his voice in her head. "Goodbye, Erik." _I love you._

 _And I you._ He looked at Raven, who visibly stiffened. Charlotte could have sworn she saw something akin to admiration in Erik's eyes as he stared at Raven and levitated away from the destruction, away to a new start in life.

 _It's what he deserves,_ Charlotte reminded herself. _He wants to be free. You had to let him go. We all deserve a new beginning._

She and Hank stared at Raven with reassured looks, while she just gave them a small, sweet smile and walked away.

Hank stared at her retreating blue form longingly as he wondered aloud, "You sure you should let them go?"

"Yes. I have hope for them. Hank, there's going to be a time when we're all together."

"And what about Logan?"

Charlotte wiggled and paused to think. "Well... I saw what happened. But if he truly is immortal like he said he was, I'm sure he can take care of himself." She looked up motherly at Hank. "Besides, there's always room for one more student or teacher."

Hank looked down at her with hopeful eyes. "You don't mean..."

"Yes, Hank. I'd like to reopen the school."

xxx

Logan had had some day. First he woke up in his familiar room in the Xavier's mansion after he was drowning. Next, he saw friends, friends who had died at another time, a different, darker time...

Then, he saw the love of his life, Jean. She was okay. And so was her boyfriend. Yippee. Still, it was good to see all of them, including Scott. Logan decided he had to have been in the present, the present unaffected by the Sentinels...

Finally, he saw the professor and her archenemy Magneto conversing over a stack of notes like an old married couple, and Magneto was disturbingly kind.

Yeah, he supposed they both, he and the professor, had some explaining to do.

xxx

Moira watched her children play outside as she cleaned up the kitchen. She loved her husband and her children, but something was off. Something had been off since that mission ten years ago...

Then, her couch potato of a spouse turned on the television. There was a man, wearing a ridiculous cape, _floating_ away. There was a girl with beautiful blue skin and red hair. There was a young man supporting a woman with a gash on her head.

 _That's the woman who I've read about,_ she remembered. _What was her name? Claire, Cheryl, Charl - Charlotte! Charlotte Xavier...She's very beautiful..._

 _"Moira..." Penetrating blue eyes fixed on her. Red lips grinned flirtatiously. "Sometimes I wish I could read that beautiful mind of yours."_

 _"You could."_

 _"Yes, but then you wouldn't trust me anymore. Would you? Besides, I could never do that to you."_

"Moira, honey? Do we have anything to drink?"

Her husband's voice broke her trance, and she blinked wildly as she responded. "We have soda and beer, whichever you prefer." Where did that thought come from? And that memory? She was not gay, was she?

Moira looked back at the TV. Those pretty blue eyes in her dreams were awfully familiar, and so was that face on the screen.


	21. Chapter 21

21) Familiar feelings

 **I'm back! Okay, so it's been a while since I've seen the movie so please feel free to correct me. Enjoy!**

 _Joy and Sadness._ That's what the once proud and stoic Erik Lehnsherr felt when he looked at his daughter, his little Nina. She looked a lot like her mother, but her mischievous grin and strong hands were miniature versions of his own.

Of course, life was always a bitch to Erik, so his first child _had_ to remind him of his old friend.

No, she was much more than that to Erik. And yet, after all their intersecting, scuffling, and rekindling, the endearment _old friend_ was the simplest way to describe the elusive, maddening Ms. Charlotte Xavier. And even after about another decade of the ultimate silent treatment, Erik could not get away from her; she was always on his mind.

No woman, including his current wife Magda, ever remained in his mind for so irritatingly long. Of course, Magda was a wonderful spouse, mother, and friend. She had kept his secret and gave him the child they both always wanted. To protect their daughter, she loyally hid his true identity from their tightly knit community in Poland. Also, Magda was one of the most beautiful women he had ever met.

But did she challenge him like Charlotte did? Never. Did she ever question his morals or his character? Hardly. Did she ever make him feel both loved and feared at the same time? Nope. In fact, no woman had ever pushed his limits so much as Charlotte because both men and women knew when to draw the line with Erik. Everyone except her, she who fights him to this day, for what she believes is right.

Although Charlotte's unquenchable loyalty to her beliefs expectedly infuriated Erik, it simultaneously earned his respect. Perhaps that was why Erik decided to settle down among humans. That was what Charlotte had wanted from him all along, wasn't it? Peace for himself? Peace between himself and humans? Later after he left Washington D.C., Charlotte had telepathically suggested that he should start a family and forget all that had occurred. Therefore, he did the former, but the latter was becoming more and more challenging everyday.

Erik trudged home from work, greeted by his smiling wife who snuck up from behind him and planted kisses on his cheeks. Later that night, he tucked his little girl to bed, singing her the lullaby his parents once sang to him.

 _How much has changed since then. Time does wonders._

"Who taught you that song?" Nina wondered, interrupting Erik's train of thought.

Erik grinned fondly at her. "My parents."

Nina watched her father with sympathy. "What happened to them?"

Erik's eyes darkened a measure, but he shoved away his morbid thoughts. He did not want to frighten his little angel. "They were taken from me."

And that was when Erik saw it, the tiniest, slightest sign of his old friend, his Charlotte. Nina's kind eyes watered a little, but her voice did not waver, and her eyes remained on Erik.

In that moment, she looked and acted just like her.

"Will someone take you away from me?"

 _"Erik, why did you leave me?"_

Erik swallowed until it hurt and kissed Nina's forehead. "The people you love never leave you." _Even when you want them to, even when they're slowly killing you because you're not with them. Even if you cannot have them back, ever, because of hate... something I wish you would never know._

"They stay with you, in your heart." _Like Mother, Father, and... the old friend._

xxx

 _Nervousness and Giddiness._ That's what the usually calm and collected Charlotte Xavier felt when she found the infamously attractive Moira MacTaggart with Cerebro. Charlotte could not describe it. She felt like she was in her twenties again, flirting with both sexes! Those warm, brown eyes took her back before the seventies, before Cuba, before everything. Moira, sweet and trustworthy Moira, took her back to the simpler times.

 _Wait a minute!_ Charlotte caught a glimpse at Hank's dumbfounded face and mentally smacked herself. _I'm wasting precious time! I need Moi- answers! Right! Answers..._

To end Hank's awkward waiting period, Charlotte spoke up. "Hank, it's her."

"Who?"

"Moira." _Sweet genome. Even her name sounds too sexy!_

"Give me the details," Hank told her earnestly.

"Well, she looks amazing." Charlotte was on cloud nine at that point. "Barely aged a day."

Hank just smirked knowingly and shook his head. "I mean other details, like where she is? How she can be of any help to us?"

Charlotte fought off the blush rising to her cheeks and gave Hank a stern look. Then, she gave him a quick synopsis of her plan.

"So... you wanna go see Moira?"

Charlotte's eyes remained on the projected image of Moira. "I wanna go check her out - check out the situation, I mean!" Charlotte hastily cleared her throat and shut Cerebro down. "And just so you know, that did come out wrongly, and you will not utter a word of this to anyone else. Am I understood?"

Hank's smirk was at its greatest point. "Oh no need, professor. You see, Cerebro has a few side effects. One particular side effect is that it tends to project the thoughts of its host when the heart of the host beats rapidly and erratically."

"Well isn't that peachy," Charlotte mumbled, wheeling past the amused scientist.

xxx

"So you and Moira, huh?" Alex chirped. She just rolled her eyes. But as Charlotte wheeled down a hallway with Alex and Hank right behind her, three bright smiles never wavered. Charlotte, for once, did not care that she looked like a giddy schoolgirl in front of her curious students. Her cheeks were red from both embarrassment and delight, but she could care less. After almost twenty years, she was finally going to see Moira.


End file.
